The Philip Parsons Young Playwrights' Award is an Australian annual award, established in 1996, given to 'to a playwright whose work demonstrates an original and compelling theatrical voice'. Recipients of the award must have been under the age of 35 years and a resident of New South Wales.
The award was presented as part of the Philip Parsons Memorial Lecture, given annually at Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. The winner was selected on the basis of a completed and produced script and an outline for another work. The winner received a full commission from Belvoir to develop their outline into a full play.
The award was named in honour of Dr Philip Parsons AM (1926-1993) who was a co-founder, with Katharine Brisbane, of the performing arts publishing company, Currency Press, and 'an influential teacher and mentor to many of the students, scholars, actors, directors and playwrights who created the new wave of Australian theatre in the 1970s.'
The award was replaced in 2013 by the NSW Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights.
Source: http://belvoir.com.au/for-artists/awards/ Sighted 10/12/2013.